Red Wings finally kill Stars with a convincing 4-1 victory.
It took them longer than expected, but the Detroit Red Wings finally managed to eliminate the Dallas Stars. Once again, the team which scored the first goal won the match. Detroit's opportunistic forwards made life easier for Chris Osgood and his defense by building a 4-0 lead.
In the game's preview, I said that Detroit knew only one way to play the game. Well, last night they proved me wrong by simplifying – to the point of dumbing down – their play. Instead of looking to setup people in front of the net like they usually do, the Wings simply threw the puck in Turco's direction, hoping for any deflection to put it in the net. Detroit's first and third goal were scored in that manner – Draper scored the first goal with his mouth, and Drake scored the third after Turco fumbled with the puck. The Datsyuk-Zetterberg duo also stuck in special teams situations – Datsyuk scoring on the powerplay while Zetterberg put in a shorthanded goal. The Wings led 3-0 at the end of the first period. There was, thus, plenty of time for the Stars to come back but Zetterberg's shorthanded goal really broke their tempo as they couldn't recover from that one.
The Stars managed to save face in the third period on the powerplay via Robidas. The goal temporarily gave them life but Osgood stood tall in front of Detroit's net. Left practically by himself towards the end of the third period, Osgood came big, stopping several shots, including making two stops in a row and clearing the rebound. The Wings goalie was on fire in the dying minutes of the game as the Stars couldn't put anything past him. The Stars' inability to score clearly showed a weakness in offense. Stop Modano, Ribeiro, and Morrow, and you've pretty much blanked their entire attack. Their GM should work on adding more skilled players to the lineup (Ryder/Hossa, anyone?).
So, it will be a Red Wings – Penguins Stanley Cup Finale. And TV commentators/analysts everywhere are drooling in anticipation. The confrontations starts on Saturday though, so expect to see more posts on UFAs/RFAs during the week.
The Wings are in trouble.
After scoring 11 goals in the first three games of the series, the Wings have beaten Turco only twice in the last two games. The Stars are denying the Wings the space and open ice necessary to develop plays. Zetterberg and Datsyuk have almost no time to think when they control the puck and Detroit's defense is unable to make the cross-ice passes that are an integral part of their transition play.
Meanwhile, Dallas is benefiting from the solid play of Marty Turco. Not only does the goalie make the big saves at the right time, he also helps out offensively by launching his team's attack. In fact, he could seen as a third defenseman since he wanders so often out of his crease. The Stars shouldn't think that tonight's game will be easy though. The only way to beat the Wings is hard work - as proven in the last two games – and capitalizing on Detroit's mistakes (like the line changes in last game).
Detroit should stay focused. They were getting frustrated in Game 4 by not being able to score, which resulted in players taking dumb penalties. Their strength of character is one of their best qualities, so they should stay level-headed in tonight's game and not retaliate to any taunting.
If the Flyers want to stay alive, they'll have to win tonight's game against an impressive Penguins team. Philadelphia still hasn't found a way to blank the Pens' top scorer but I think it's time for the Flyers to get more physical than they've been in this series. They have no choice but to hit the Penguins since nothing else is working. There's been a lot less hitting in both Conference Finals than in the first round and, as Dallas discovered, to beat the talented teams, you have to be more intense. More intense means to hit your opponent, to deny them space to think, to push their goalie around, to get into their heads. So far, the Flyers aren't getting in the Penguins' head. They did it against Montreal, why can't they repeat their feat?
If the Flyers don't come out hitting tonight, the Penguins only have to look out for one thing – complacency. If they get too confident that they're going to sweep this round, it will come back to bite them. As the Western Conference Finals' Game 4 showed, all it takes is one mistake – whether it's from the referees or the defense – to turn the game around.
It's all about saving face tonight for the Stars. Even if they manage to win tonight's game, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the Red Wings are going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Win or lose, the Stars should be proud of what they've achieved this year, eliminating both the Stanley Cup defending champions, and one of the main contenders for this year's cup. The goal tonight will be to fight to win each period and let the results speak for themselves.
Right now, the Wings are “in the zone.” Every play is precise, every move has a purpose, and every win takes them closer to the Cup. They finished the two previous rounds with commanding performances, shutting out Nashville 3-0 in Game 6 of the first round, and destroying Colorado 8-2 in Game 4 of the second round. The question is, will tonight be an offensive massacre or a strong defensive performance? We'll see how it goes.
Ann 2
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